Clerkship Courses
Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 11:15 pm
Recommended courses to take for a district court clerkship?
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School offers two CrimPros, one in investigations and another in adjudication. Would you recommend taking both?Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Jul 10, 2021 11:52 pmEvidence, Advanced Civ Pro, Federal Courts, Admin Law, Employment Law, Criminal Procedure, Advanced Legal Research, First Amendment
Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Jul 11, 2021 12:55 amSchool offers two CrimPros, one in investigations and another in adjudication. Would you recommend taking both?Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Jul 10, 2021 11:52 pmEvidence, Advanced Civ Pro, Federal Courts, Admin Law, Employment Law, Criminal Procedure, Advanced Legal Research, First Amendment
Immigration Law and First Amendment would be useful clerkship courses?Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Jul 11, 2021 6:05 amAnonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Jul 11, 2021 12:55 amSchool offers two CrimPros, one in investigations and another in adjudication. Would you recommend taking both?Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sat Jul 10, 2021 11:52 pmEvidence, Advanced Civ Pro, Federal Courts, Admin Law, Employment Law, Criminal Procedure, Advanced Legal Research, First Amendment
You attend Columbia right? Columbia usually doesn't offer Advanced Civ Pro, Criminal Procedure, Complex Litigation, a useful Immigration Law class outside of the clinic, or First Amendment. They apparently stopped teaching Advanced Admin Law this year. Don't ask me why having 15 different prison abolition classes is considered more of a priority.
Take both Crim Investigations and Adjudication, LegReg as soon as possible, and FedCourts. My understanding is that Barenberg's Employment Law and Labor Law classes are similar, but I'd bet both are helpful. I've heard mixed things about the usefulness of Monaghan's Conflict of Laws class. Copyright with Ginsburg is a right pain in the butt, but I found it helpful to learn some IP concepts, probably would think about Patents too.
Not a class, but if the district court externship program application is still open, the SDNY/EDNY externships are helpful, and EDNY isn't competitive because your classmates don't want to travel to Brooklyn during the year.
Edit: Black-letter Advanced Civ Pro isn't offered, but Roberta Kaplan sometimes teaches a seminar on Advanced Civ Pro. I've never taken it, and you'd probably have to rank it first if you want to get it, but I'd imagine it would be useful, though it seems more geared toward people pursuing impact litigation.
I'm thinking more about the courses that a judge and that judge's clerks want to see on a transcript to ensure that the student didn't take easy classes to pad a GPA.nixy wrote: ↑Sun Jul 11, 2021 8:45 amNo idea where the Columbia-specific advice came from (lots of schools separate crim pro into investigative and adjudicative so that’s not a tell) but I’ll agree with evidence and admin law especially, and I think employment law is a decent basic and crim pro would be useful. But I’ll also say that it’s not at all necessary to gear all your coursework for the clerkship - you’ll be able to learn as you go. Most of these suggestions are perfectly great and broadly useful to select among, but don’t feel you have to take *all* of them. If there’s other stuff you want to take that fits your long term goals, take that stuff. I muddled through without having taken fed courts or crim pro or advanced civ pro or first amendment, and there’s a decent learning curve no matter how many courses you take.
True - I guess I was primed from the previous Columbia thread. Anyway I'll maintain the advice is good and if anyone was wondering, CLS's course selection isn't geared toward future clerks.nixy wrote: ↑Sun Jul 11, 2021 8:45 amNo idea where the Columbia-specific advice came from (lots of schools separate crim pro into investigative and adjudicative so that’s not a tell) but I’ll agree with evidence and admin law especially, and I think employment law is a decent basic and crim pro would be useful. But I’ll also say that it’s not at all necessary to gear all your coursework for the clerkship - you’ll be able to learn as you go. Most of these suggestions are perfectly great and broadly useful to select among, but don’t feel you have to take *all* of them. If there’s other stuff you want to take that fits your long term goals, take that stuff. I muddled through without having taken fed courts or crim pro or advanced civ pro or first amendment, and there’s a decent learning curve no matter how many courses you take.
Depending on the circuit, immigration absolutely is. Though more for appellate clerkships than district courts.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Jul 11, 2021 11:26 amImmigration Law and First Amendment would be useful clerkship courses?
Fair, I read the original question as someone already having the clerkship and wanting to prepare, but that may not be what they meant.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Sun Jul 11, 2021 11:27 amI'm thinking more about the courses that a judge and that judge's clerks want to see on a transcript to ensure that the student didn't take easy classes to pad a GPA.nixy wrote: ↑Sun Jul 11, 2021 8:45 amNo idea where the Columbia-specific advice came from (lots of schools separate crim pro into investigative and adjudicative so that’s not a tell) but I’ll agree with evidence and admin law especially, and I think employment law is a decent basic and crim pro would be useful. But I’ll also say that it’s not at all necessary to gear all your coursework for the clerkship - you’ll be able to learn as you go. Most of these suggestions are perfectly great and broadly useful to select among, but don’t feel you have to take *all* of them. If there’s other stuff you want to take that fits your long term goals, take that stuff. I muddled through without having taken fed courts or crim pro or advanced civ pro or first amendment, and there’s a decent learning curve no matter how many courses you take.